Homily for the Baptism of Hannah Faith
Sunday, August 10th
By : Fr. Ron Floyd
My friends, we come together on this joyous day to celebrate the Baptism of Hannah Faith into the faith of the Church and into the Body of Christ. Of the seven sacraments of the Church, Baptism is the first one spoken of, and in fact, commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels. As we read in the last line of the last chapter of the Gospel of Matthew; summing up the mission of the Church, Jesus commands His disciples: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."
Of course Baptism predated Jesus, who himself was baptized by John in the Jordan. In the first century Baptism was popular among many of the new religions popping up. The first century was a time of religious awakening people were rejecting the old pagan superstitions and myths and looking for the true God. Part of this search was the realization that something was not right in the world.
That for one reason or another, our relationships with our God, our neighbors, and our world were disordered. You see man was meant for communion, and community, with God and neighbor; and he was meant to be a steward, a caretaker, of nature. Failing in these tasks, not following God’s plan, sin put man at odds with nature and all creation and caused so much suffering in the world then, as it still does today. For this reason people began to use one of the most basic symbols: water to show our desire to restore what was lost, to become clean again—to return to God’s plan.
Water—think about its significance: ee drink it, it feeds crops and plants, it washes away dirt and disease. Truly water gives life; but at the same time it is unpredictable and chaotic. Too much water washes away not just dirt and disease but homes, peoples livelihood, an it can even take their life. Too little and both man, beast, and plant alike die of thirst. Eater, like the water of a sea or the rain waters can never be completely controlled. Thus to the people living in that first century religious revival snd also to us today—water symbolized purification and nourishment from a source that was uncontrollable and mysterious.
Our God sees the big picture, knowing how all time will unfold and so it is not surprising that upon entering the world he took those basic things ehich naturally and innately have so much meaning to us to become symbols of his loving work among us, symbols of his plan to save us: water, fire, bread and wine, oil, and the family itself.
Today we Christian Catholics utilize all these signs to acknowledge and make visible the unseen and invisible work of spirit and grace that our God is working in the life of little Hannah, and in the lives of her family and friends.
Today Hannah will be cleansed of that original stain of sin yhat we all bear because we are part of the human family. When speaking with Jen and Francis, they asked me about Original sin. It’s a good question—how is it that we can say that this or any cute, innocent, adorable child can have this sin.
Original sin is not like lying or stealing—its not something we are guilty of—but rather its like a spiritual disease that we are born with. As we hear in the Book of Genesis our first parents sinned, their sin was a sin of pride, their sin was to choose something good over and above something great—over Love for and of God. As Christians we believe that our first parents ate from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil—and eating of this tree they rejected God’s plan.
They closed their eyes and ears to God snd decided for themselves what was good, and what was evil. They decided to depend on themselves for happiness. As a result they discovered, the hard way, that true happiness, true peace and justice and order, can only come from following God’s plan.
Like the first Christians, today by this Sacrament of Baptism ee are asking our God to open Hannah’s eyes and ears and heart to God’s plan. By water we ask God to wash her from original sin snd to give her to drink the water of eternal life. With the holy oils we anoint her, like any parent would anoint their own child soothing balms to declare that today she is part of God’s royal family. With fire we will symbolize the fire of the Holy Spirit, which in her heart will help her to follow God’s plan. And finally returning her to her family—but also accepting her into the larger family of the Church we will show her a symbol of God’s love for the world, which is familial love.
Today, little Hannah will go down into the waters of Baptism snd there in the symbol of life and death dhe will share in Christ’s saving death. She will see that true love means to sacrifice yourself and to die for others. And rising from the waters she will share in the hope and promise of the resurrection.
I urge you all to meditate on these mysteries, and pray for little Hannah Faith, as she dies with Christ and rises today a new creation.
Never let her forget that by this Baptism God has chosen her to save the world, He has chosen her for a special mission, He has a plan and purpose for her that is so special.
Help her parents from this day forward to raise Hannah so that she may grow in grace, beauty and wisdom before the Lord.
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